---
title: "‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is officially the most successful US military movie of all time"
description: "After a month in theaters, the long-anticipated sequel has already made more than $900 million around the world."
date: "2022-06-22"
modified: "2022-06-22"
authors:
  - name: "Max Hauptman"
    job_title: "Breaking News Reporter"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/max-hauptman/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/top-gun-2-most-profitable-military-movie/"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "Entertainment"
  - "Mandatory Fun"
---

# ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is officially the most successful US military movie of all time

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/22/top-gun-2-movie-profit.jpg>)
*('Top Gun: Maverick'/IMDB)*

Give the people what they want. In this case, it’s the jets, dogfights, and a brief beach football interlude of “[Top Gun: Maverick](<https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/top-gun-2-maverick-review/>).”

The more than 30-years-in-the-making sequel has already raked in [$474,755,566](<https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2500036097/?ref_=bo_hm_rd>) in gross profit domestically. Add another $427,100,00 from international markets and that’s $901,855,566 total. That’s quite a haul, even enough to [buy seven](<https://www.pogo.org/analysis/2020/10/selective-arithmetic-to-hide-the-f-35s-true-costs>) of the Navy’s F-35C jets.

While the gross is divided between the production and distribution companies, from a pure numbers perspective on the domestic market, that makes “Top Gun: Maverick” the most successful U.S. military movie of all time.

For reference, back in 1986, the original Top Gun raked in $357,288,178 worldwide.

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Some other top-grossing military films include “American Sniper,” which grossed $547,459,020 worldwide, and “[Saving Private Ryan](<https://taskandpurpose.com/history/saving-private-ryan-d-day-landing-scene/>),” which brought in $482,349,603 on domestic and international markets.

Now, how about stretching the boundaries of what is a military movie? Steve Rogers was in the Army at some point, right? And is a top-secret serum that turns you into Captain America any less believable than Tom Cruise’s Maverick [still being a Captain in the Navy after 30 years](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/why-maverick-is-still-a-captain-30-years-after-top-gun-according-to-the-navy/>)? On that note, “Captain America: The First Avenger” grossed $370,569,774.

And if you want to continue on in the realm of superheroes and comic book movies that serve as huge advertisements for the military, there’s “Transformers: Dark Of the Moon,” which crossed the billion-dollar mark and made $1,123,794,079. People do like their toys, whether they’re V-22 Ospreys or giant fighting robots from the planet Cybertron.

So, while some folks may take issue with “Top Gun: Maverick” as [propaganda for the Navy](</culture/top-gun-maverick-propaganda-exposed-veterans-dunking-on/>), it seems like [audiences are loving it](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/top-gun-maverick-iwo-jima/>).

## The latest on Task & Purpose

- [**‘Mad Max’-style technicals**](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/why-mad-max-style-technicals-have-become-a-staple-of-ukraines-fight-against-russia/>) **have become a staple of Ukraine’s fight against Russia**
- **The** [**difference between Air Force and Navy pilots**](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-navy-pilots-landings-video/>) **in one short video**
- **Watch the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ film crew get** [**buzzed by an F/A-18 during filming**](</culture/top-gun-maverick-behind-the-scenes-tiktok/>)
- **Three Navy commanders** [**relieved of duty**](<https://taskandpurpose.com/news/three-navy-commanders-relieved-of-duty-in-the-past-week/>) **in the past week**
- [**Hollywood has spent $16 million**](</culture/hollywood-has-spent-16-million-training-chris-pratt-the-terminal-list/>) **training Chris Pratt for war**

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## Author
Max Hauptman is a former breaking news reporter at Task & Purpose. He previously worked at The Washington Post as a Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow, as well as covering local news in New England.Â

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